Rise Above
by Nobel Grace
Summary: About a young girl who lives a hard life, but finds comfort in an unusual friend. based on a song...can you guess which one?
1. Prologue

It was a cold fall day and the leaves floated on the air and landed with a soft thud on the ground. They looked at the white house, with rusted broken green shutters and chipped paint. When the sun hit it the house had a golden colour too it and made it look like a magical place. They stood back and watched as her mother rose from her drunken sleep and heard her horrified cry. He turned to look at her and she looked at him with a worried expression. He gave her a quick smile and then looked back to the house.

Her mother sank to her knees, the phone at her ear and shrieked and cursed. Minutes later police cars and an ambulance flew down her street stirring up the fallen leaves. They floated around the small pair and settled at their feet. Men and women in uniform flew passed them without a glance and we straight into the house. They watched as her mother was hand cuffed and a white stretcher was set up.

"She be ok right?" The girl asked. Her companion smiled at her and nodded. She looked at him hopeful and then smiled. He reached out his hand to her and she grabbed it, held it tightly and watched her mother get into the police car. Her mother shouted out and the girl jumped. He gave her hand a light tug and she sighed, before turning to follow him.

"Why did this happen to me?" She asked. The boy looked at her for a moment his bright blue eyes confused and his brows in a frown.

"Well if it hadn't then we would have never met, and would have never been friends." He said smiling at her and making her smiled just as brightly back. "Come on. It's time to go now Gabriella." She looked back at her life and sighed. Why did her life have to be this way?


	2. Family Photos

_2 months ago…_

The pink hello kitty alarm clock buzzed beside her bed causing Gabriella to jump. She reached over quickly and hit the top of the alarm to turn it off. She held her breath as everything went silent and listened. When she heard nothing but snores coming from her mothers room across the hallway she slipped out of bed and shivered. The heating in the house was poor, mostly because the bills rarely got paid on time. So to keep herself warm she slipped on a pair of old, worn red slippers, which were 3 times too big for her size 1 foot, and shuffled, quietly to her closet.

She creaked the door open and looked at the clothes hanging in the closet. There wasn't much there, because her mom hadn't had a good day in a long time. She spotted her favorite dress and decided that she would wear that dress to school. She pulled it from the hangers and they clanged together. She flinched and again held her breath. She exhaled nervously when the coast was clear and slipped the dress on. She bit her lip when pain shot down her arm as she lifted it over her head, but she pushed through it.

She looked at the pink dress in the mirror and smiled. The way that Gabriella saw the dress was different than any other would see it. To this particular 8 year old it was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen, with a pink sash in the middle and a bow at the back. She wore it with her favorite black shoes and a pair of white tights. To others they would see the stains on the dress from the dirt that she played in and the holes and tears from countless days of wearing it. They would see the scuff marks and the ripped souls on the bottom of her shoes and the holes in her tights. But this was her favorite dress and she was going to wear it. She laid out her white, now grey, cardigan and left her room to go and pack herself some lunch.

She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a loaf of bread that was nice and fresh, the jelly and some butter. Since she wasn't an experienced chef she would make herself a jelly and butter sandwich before school and that fill her, with an apple and a thermos of juice. She didn't have cool "Gusher" snacks like Taylor did, or "Fruit Roll-Ups" Like Zeke, but being Gabriella she rarely noticed these things.

She poured herself a bowl of cheerios and turned on the TV. She turned the volume down low and looked down the hall to her mother's room. No sign of her so she flicked it too the cartoons channel. Bugs and Tweety were on today and she had to cover her mouth to stop her from laughing out loud at Elmer Fud trying to getting Bugs Bunny. She heard a stir come from her mother's room and turned off the TV, jumped off the couch and raced into the kitchen to wash her bowl and put her lunch in her back pack. She slipped into the bathroom before her mother left the room and started brushing her hair.

"Gabi!!!" her mother shouted from down the hallway. "Where are you?"

"In the bathroom." She peeped and shut her eyes. She waited for her mother to come down the hallway, but she didn't.

"Where's the Tylenol?" She shouted and Gabriella sighed.

"It's on the stove Momma." She said, sticking her head out the bathroom door to see how her mother was today.

From a very young age Gabriella learned that you didn't cross her mother after she had been drinking from the dark bottles with bubbly water in them. And when she drank the clear drink that looked like water, but burnt your throat, you were to hide in the best spot that you could until she fell asleep. Gabriella also knew that this was her mother and she loved her very much and she just needed some help and then she would get better.

It wasn't always bad days. Sometimes her mom would have one drink and be in the mood for snuggling up and watching a movie or going to the park and getting an ice cream. It was those days that she remembered the most, the days that she lived for.

Her mother staggered into the living room and plopped down on the couch. She pressed a hand to her forehead and held her eyes closed. Her black hair was matted and curled and there were purple bags under her eyes. Gabriella turned back to the mirror, brushed her curly black hair one last time, before sticking a pink clip into it to hold her over grown bangs back.

She walked into her room and made her bed, opened her blinds and put on her cardigan. When she went back into the living room her mother was in the same position. She watched her mother for a moment afraid of what to do next. One eye opened and narrowed in on her, than the other. She dropped her hand from her face and looked at her daughter.

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice deep and raspy.

"I…I'm going to school today Momma. It's Tuesday." She peeped.

"Oh right. Well you better get a move on. You'll miss your bus." She sighed and leaned back on the couch. Gabriella looked at the clock and groaned. It was only 7:45 and her bus didn't come till 8:30. She sighed and went to the front closet to put on her tennis shoes. She picked up her purple Dora back pack that she had used since Sr. Kindergarten and put in on her shoulders.

"Bye Momma." She said from the doorway.

"Aren't you going to come over here and kiss your poor Mother goodbye?" She said. Gabriella sighed quietly and cautiously walked over to her mother. She turned her cheek to her daughter and smiled. Her mother smelt awful. She smelt like a strong drink and vomit. But Gabriella bent towards her mother's cheek, kissed it quickly and then turned back to leave. "Have a good day." She said from the couch, tossing her legs over the arm and lying back on it. "Don't get in any trouble…_or else._" Those two little words sent a violent shiver down Gabriella's back and caused her to jump and her knees to become very shaky.

"I…I wont Momma. I promise." She slipped out the door and raced down the walk way. She stopped at the sidewalk and looked back at the old house. It used to look so different, well at least in the pictures it did. Gabriella walked to the bus stop, just down the street from her house and sat on the electrical box outside waiting for the bus to come. She opened her back pack and pulled out the family photo album she had found, and that she carried with her everywhere she went.

She opened the first page and looked at the smiling faces of her grandmother and grandfather on their wedding day. They were young in the 50s and Gabriella thought they were the most beautiful couple she had ever seen, apart from her own parents of course. She smiled as she traced a hand over the picture and remembered all the good memories that she had of her grandparents. She hadn't seen them in a while and wished she knew why.

The next page was of her mother when she was about Gabriella's age. She was with her brother and sister and they were smiling on the front lawn in their swimming suits and having fun. Gabriella had envied the fact that her mother had brothers and sisters to play with and she didn't have any. But she only asked the one time for fear of repeating the question a second time.

The next page was one of her favorites. Her mother was in it and she was about 16/17. She was wearing a light blue dress with puffy sleeves and her black hair was curled and crimped and in a pony tail on her head. She had dark brown eyes that were lined with black eyeliner and mascara and to Gabriella she looked like an angel. But the reason that she loved this photo the most was because it was one of the few that had her father in it. The man who stood beside Gabriella's mother was a tall man, with light brown hair and dark green eyes. He had a goofy grin and a confidence that was clear to even tiny Gabriella. He held his arm out to her mother and was looking down at her and she, linked her arm through his was staring right back up at him like he was the best thing on the earth. This was what Gabriella pictured love to be like. She tore herself away from this page and flipped to the next one.

The next was a little bit different. It was her mother and father's wedding day, but there was no sign of love on their faces as they stood, she holding flowers and he standing beside her. They smiled appropriately for the picture but something about it made Gabriella sad. She looked at the space between her father and her mother and frowned. How could they go from being" madly in love" one minute to being "not so much in love any more" the next. Gabriella looked at the photo closer and knew that her mother had been pregnant here. She could tell because the flowers were meant to hide the bump but did a horrible job of it. Another was that her parents looked the exact same as they had in the previous picture. It didn't take a genius to know that you were different and that your parents were younger than the rest of the kids' parents. Gabriella sighed and flipped to the next photo.

The next photo was when she was born. She was lying on her father's chest and he was sleeping on the couch that her mother was now lying on. She was a tiny baby with tiny curled up fist, a little patch of black hair and a yellow sleeper. It was a picture that made Gabriella want to cry. It made her wish that she were a small baby again and her daddy could hold her in his arms and make all her problems go away. She felt the tears in her eyes and turned the page to get rid of them, but of course…it didn't.

The next pages were a series of photos of her with her mother and her with her father and then some with other relatives that were strangers to her now. She would stop and stare at the faces of her father, trying to bring up some memory of him. Then she would study the face of her mother and would be shocked at how the two women could possibly be the same.

The last picture in the book was taken when Gabriella was 2. She was sitting on a picnic blanket under a big tree and pointing at something behind her mother, who was taking the photo. Her father lay on his side, around Gabriella and was smiling at her. It was a normal picture, not one that was particularly beautiful, but it was special none the less. This was the last picture that was taken of their happy life. This was the last part to the happy life and the beginning to the life that they now currently lived.

Gabriella had been told that father had been a strong happy man who could tell a joke and make anyone who was listening laugh until they were crying. He was kind and caring and always knew when something was wrong. But he had a short fuse and very short patience and the two of them would always end up fighting each other. Around Gabriella's 3rd birthday things started to get very bad between her mother and father. Her father wanted a divorce and her mother forbade him from getting one. She talked about working threw their problems and how much of an embarrassment it would be if they separated. So for her sake and for Gabriella's, her father stayed in the love-less relationship and focused majority of his attention on his only child.

On February day, around the middle of the night an ambulance was called to their house. Upon arrival the police did not see that anything was wrong. There were a couple of lights on, nothing seemed to be broken or smashed, the only thing that was out of place, was a couple of suitcases at the front door. When the police ventured further and further into the house they found a man lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, a bullet wound in the middle of his chest. They checked his vitals and then declared time of death.

As the story seems to go, her father had said he wanted a divorce again. Gabriella's mother shrieked and screamed and begged him not to leave, but he wouldn't give in. The turning point in the night was when he went for Gabriella, waking her from her sleep and telling her mother that he was leaving and taking the baby with him. Her mother broke down and stared screaming and swearing up and down. She disappeared into the bedroom for a moment and when she reappeared she had a gun, which they kept in their night table beside the bed, for emergencies.

He placed Gabriella on the floor behind him and raised his hands. He talked to her in soothing tones and she stared back at him with tear streaked face, whose eyes were filled with betrayal and vengeance. He managed to get close enough to her that he could grab the gun. At first she tried to fight, but with his soothing words she released the gun and he took it, placing on the floor, as far away from her as possible. He held onto her hands and looked at her in the eyes, telling her it would be alright.

Now according to the report given by her mother a shot was then fired from a behind him. She had said that as he collapsed into her arms, the sight of her child holding the gun in her hands and staring at it, came into view. But to the police this story didn't match up. How could a 2 year old hold a gun that well and then shoot it? She could barely stand without falling over. So they did their investigations, but when it came time to testing little Gabriella, her mother refused and told them not to lay one finger on her. The parts of the story that did match up were the angle from which the gun was shot at her father and the fact that it had entered his back and got out through his chest. The police, after months of investigating ruled the murder as an accident caused by a small child of 3 playing with a dangerous firearm and Gabriella's mother was given a large fine and the case was then swept under the rug and was forever forgotten.

After that, the guilt set in and her mother started to drink. And drink. And drink. She drank until she couldn't walk. Many times she drank so much that she would sleep all night and then all the next day, awaking with Gabriella came home from school that afternoon.

The bus pulled up in front of Gabriella startling her from her memories. She hopped off the electrical box and skipped to the bus doors. She smiled that the bus driver and took her normal seat, which was 4th from the front on the left side. Here she could see her house as she passed by and everyday she would say a quick prayer that when she came home from school, her mother would be having a good day.


	3. Good Days

"Gabriella!" At the sound of her name, Gabriella turned around and looked at the small dark girl standing by bike rack, tying her bike up. Her dark curly hair was tied into a pony tail and she had only dark blue jeans and a purple turtle neck sweater. She waved at Gabriella and Gabriella smiled back. Gabriella waited for Taylor to catch up to her before the two of them went into the school together.

"So, did you watch Atomic Betty last night?" She asked pulling on the straps to back pack.

"No…I was watching something else." She mumbled.

"Oh…well it was really good last night. A new episode. Betty had to fight this big huge bu-"

"Well well…look what crawled out of the trash can!" The girls looked up at the voice that had spoken. Chad was leaning against the wall, one foot resting on the wall and his arms crossed. His brown hair was a big curly mess on top of his head and he smiled smugly at them.

"Shut up Chad!" Taylor snapped and attempted to walk passed him.

"Whoa! Easy there Tay!" He said with an evil snicker. "I wasn't talking about you anyways." He turned his eyes to Gabriella and she looked back at him with as much confidence she could muster. Taylor looked at her with sad eyes, taking in her dress and then she punched Chad in the arm. Tears welled up in his eyes and he cried out in pain.

"OUCH!" He screamed, catching a teacher's attention. She looked over at the group of 8 year olds and watched intently.

"That was so mean Chad! You should say you're sorry!" She said, making the clenched fist at her side very obvious to Chad. He looked at the fist and then rubbed his arm.

"Sorry." He mumbled. Taylor inched forwards and Gabriella could feel her heart begin to race at the thought of violence.

"I don't think she heard you." Taylor threatened. Chad looked at her and smirked again.

"I'm not scared of you." He said and she inched forward again. She raised her fist and showed it to him and Gabriella panicked. She didn't know why, but she raced past the fighting pair and into the school. She pushed passed the kids in the hallways and raced into the nearest bathroom. She locked herself in a stall and slid down to the floor. She could barely breath, her heart was beating so fast. She heard the bell rang, but couldn't leave her spot. After 10 minutes her panic attack started to ease and her breathing returned to normal.

The bathroom door squeaked open and she head high heels click on the tile floors. "Gabriella?" A woman's voice rang out through the bathroom. Gabriella knew who it was by the sound of her voice, but she was still scared from the confrontation between Taylor and Chad. She sniffed and wiped her tears away. The there were two feet in front of the stall and her teacher knocked on the door.

"Gabriella? Are you in there?" Mrs. Darbus' sweet voice called out to her. Gabriella sniffed again. "Come on dear. Come out."

Gabriella opened the door and slipped out of the stall. Her teacher stood in front of her and just watched her. She was a large lady with curly blonde hair and smelled of very strong perfume. She smiled at her and held out her hand. Gabriella hesitated but then reached for it and the two of them walked to the classroom.

"Would you like to talk about it?" She asked Gabriella. The halls were empty now and everyone was listening to the morning announcements.

"Taylor and Chad were fighting." She said, feeling tears in her eyes again. Mrs. Darbus sensed this and rubbed her back soothingly. She stopped outside of room 132 and turned to her.

"This scared you sweetheart?" She looked into the girl's eyes and studied her carefully. Gabriella nodded her head and Mrs. Darbus nodded back. "Alright well, we'll talk to them. Don't worry dear. Everything's going to be ok." She patted her shoulder and they walked into the classroom.

------

The lunch bell rang and everyone went to their backpacks to grab their lunches. Gabriella grabbed the brown paper bag that held her lunch and went to head to the cafeteria. She grabbed the story book she had been reading from her back pack and slipped it under her arm.

The large cafeteria could hold 400 students, but there were 500 students in the school. So it was sometimes tricky to find a good spot to eat your lunch. Luckily for Gabriella she was very quick to get her lunch and always picked a seat closest to the window and farthest away from everyone else. She liked to sit by herself and read her books in quiet.

She sat and watched the leaves falling as she ate her sandwich and drank her juice. She looked towards the cafeteria doors and saw Chad walk in with a sulk on his face. She watched him walk over to the table and sit with his friends. He leaned in to tell them something and then they all looked in her direction. She got nervous and looked away.

"Thanks a lot!" Gabriella jumped. Taylor stood in front of her and stared down at her. Gabriella gulped back her anxiety and opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. Taylor looked at her and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I…I don't know what you mean?" She said nervously.

"You told on us." She said with a snap. "And I was sticking up for you! My father always told me that when someone is getting bullied you stick up for them in the best way that you can." She glared at Gabriella. "Well now I know never to stick up for _you_ again!" She said with a huff and walked away to her own table of friends. Gabriella felt like a rock had sunk to the bottom of her stomach and she was no longer hungry. She pushed her sandwich away and opened her book. She read the first sentence 4 times before she closed the book. She looked at Taylor who was know laughing with her friends and felt the tears well up in her eyes. She gathered her lunch and book and rushed out the cafeteria doors. No one noticed as she raced down the hallways and opened the big wooden doors that led to the playground.

She felt the cool air kiss her cheeks as she raced to the outside of the playground. She collapsed onto an old picnic table. She placed her head on her arms and took a deep breath. She felt the tears again and took deep even breaths to push them away.

"What's wrong?" She jumped as someone spoke behind her. She turned around quickly ready to run, but stopped when she noticed the boy in front of her. He looked at her intently, like a puppy looks at its owner when it doesn't understand a command. His blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight and made her feel calm and safe.

"I…Nothing's wrong." She lied, turning back to her book and pretending to read it.

"You're lying." He said and sat beside her. "You know…lying is a sin." She looked at him with a curious expression and he smiled at her. "You know what a sin is, don't you?" Gabriella shook her head and the little boy's eyes widened with shock. "Oh brother. Well a sin is like…it's like…" His eyebrows creased together as he thought hard about what a sin was. He snapped his fingers when he got an answer, causing her to jump. "A sin is like God's rules. He has ten of them…but we're only on number 5. Do you know which one that is?" Gabriella shook her head again and he sighed. "It's Honor thy mother and father." Gabriella nodded as she understood somewhat what he was saying.

"So, God has all these rules and you have to learn them?" She asked. He nodded proud of his accomplishment in teaching her. "Will you get in a lot of trouble for doing these…sins?" She asked.

"Well…" his forehead creased in a frown and he turned to her. "No…you just have to go to confession, which is where you tell the priest all the bad things you have done." She nodded as she remembered seeing a priest once or twice in her life. She had been baptized as a baby, but going to church was never something that she did. "So…why are you out here all alone?" He asked her.

"I…like the leaves. They look so pretty."

"Lying again. You defiantly better go to confession this weekend." He smiled at her and she slightly smiled back.

"I…I don't have very many friends and I just wanted to come out here, to be by myself." She said being completely honest.

"Well, do you mind if I sit here with you?" He asked her. She pretended to think about it for a second and then nodded. He smiled at her and she returned the smile. "My name's Troy Bolton." He stuck out his tiny hand and she grabbed onto it.

"I'm Gabriella Montez." She said, giving his hand a shake. He smiled brightly at her and then the recess bell rang and the yard was filled with noise.

-----

Gabriella and Troy sat on the picnic table all lunch hour talking and laughing, watching some of the kids play in the leaves. He told her about his family, how his brother was older and his sister was younger and they liked to tease him sometimes. He talked of the family dog that they had, but was dead now.

"Mom used to say she was just like a human." Troy laughed as he remembered his dog, Tabby. "One time we all went out for dinner, around Christmas time and mom had just finished decorating the house with bows and lights and she had put the tree up. It was so pretty…anyways…We decided to go out for a family dinner and left Tabby at home. Well, when we left to go places and didn't take her with us she would get really mad and wreck things. Well when we got home that night all of mom's decorations were broken all over the place." Gabriella gasped, but Troy just chuckled. "She was so mad, but Tabby just sat there waging her tail, happy to see that we were home." Gabriella laughed out loud, imagining Troy with his Black Lab puppy and all the Christmas decorations destroyed all over the house. "Do you have any pets, Gabriella?"

"No. My mom's allergic to pets." This was the truth. One day, on a good day, Gabriella had asked her mom if they could get a dog. Her mother had said that she would really like to but she was very allergic and it would be very difficult to have a dog in the house. So Gabriella just put up with the disappointment and would pet the neighbour's dog every time she saw it. Troy went silent for a moment and watched the kids playing soccer on the field.

"So, do you live far from here?" He asked her. She looked at him nervously and nodded quickly. "You do? Really far?"

"Well…I take a bus." She said.

"Oh…me too. Which bus do you take?"

"Number 4."

"Oh. I take number 6." He went silent again. She watched him from the corner of her eye. He was kinda weird. He was very small for an 8 year old and wore weird clothes. He had on cream coloured pants that were neatly ironed and looked very expensive. He wore a dark green turtle neck sweater and a brown coat over top. His brown hair was neat and tidy and he looked ready for a day at a private school. She wondered why he had come and asked to be her friend when she was so much different than him. She didn't have any brothers or sisters and she didn't have a dog. Her mommy was a little bit different than his and her daddy was dead. He caught her eye and smiled at her.

"Maybe we can play together one day, at your house maybe?" Gabriella froze. Mom doesn't like having people over and Gabriella knew she would get in serious trouble if she had invited Troy over. She shook her head quickly and his lip pouted. "Well then, maybe you can come over to my house?" He looked at her with a hopeful expression and she sighed. She nodded her head, lying for the third time. She just couldn't turn him down again. He was the nicest boy she had ever met.

The bell rang and Gabriella groaned. Troy stood up and grabbed her book off the table. She went to take it from him but he turned away from her and started walking towards the school.

"I need my book Troy." Gabriella called after him. He turned around to her and smiled.

"I'll give it too you later." He said with a smile and then his disappeared into the crowd of kids, leaving Gabriella all alone.

------

She hoped off the last step and looked hesitantly towards her house. The windows were open and there was a soft hum coming from the house. Her prayer had been answered. She opened the door and peeked inside. She heard the loud roar of the vacuum cleaner and in the background, her mother's favorite C.D of Frank Sinatra played. Her mother was dancing around the living room, while vacuuming singing alone to "The Summer wind". She smiled as she watched her mother.

Her mother looked ten times better than she had this morning. She had gone for a shower and had put some clean clothes on. Her hair was dried and pulled back into a pony tail and she had some nice light make-up on her face. Of course she still had a cigarette hanging from her mouth, but as long as it wasn't puke, it was fine with Gabriella.

She slipped off her shoes and put them neatly away in the cupboard. She placed her backpack on the coat rack, where she normally kept it, and walked into the living room. Her mother caught sight of her and smiled. She turned off the vacuum and put her cigarette down in a nearby ashtray.

"Hello darling. How was your day?" She held out her arms for Gabriella to fill and she did so willingly.

"It was ok Momma." She said with a sigh.

"What happened, darling? Did you fight with your friends?" Her mother stroked her hair softly and kissed the top of her head.

"No. I just didn't get to finish my book…" Lie number 4. She smiled as she thought of Troy. "How was your day?" She looked up at her mother and her mother smiled back down.

"It was good. I did some laundry, did the dishes, and got some groceries." She let go of Gabriella and went to unplug the vacuum cleaner. "I made some muffins. There on the counter if you want som- Is that what you wore to school today?" She asked, her face suddenly gone pale. Gabriella panicked. She looked at her dress to see if any new dirt stains had appeared on the dress. When she didn't spot any she looked up. Her mother was looking back at her, a shaky hand covering her mouth and tears pouring down her cheeks. "Oh my poor baby! I didn't…I'm such a terrible, terrible mother!" She said sinking to the floor. Gabriella raced to her side and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"No Momma! No. You are the best mother!" She said stroking her mother's hair, the way her mother had done to her moments ago. She held her mother tightly and told her repeatedly that she was a good mother. When she stopped crying she held Gabriella at arms length and looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry Gabi! I really am sorry." She let a few more tears go and then took a deep breath. "But today is the day that this all changes." She stood up from the floor and looked around the nice clean house. She looked at her daughter again and cringed. "I think it's time to get rid of that dress." She said. Gabriella felt her eyes widen at these words and felt her heart start to race.

"Don't worry Gabi. We'll get you a new one. How about we go right now? You and me? Want to go out for a bit?" Gabriella looked at her mother curiously and then smiled.

"Ok Momma. Do you want me to change?" She asked, looking down at her dress.

"Nah. We'll just run out to the store quickly, come on." She grabbed her purse from the kitchen table and opened it. She went through the money that she had in it and nodded contently. She held out her hand for her daughter. After her shoes were on, Gabriella reached up and grabbed onto her mother's hand. She looked to the clouds when they were in the car and said a silent prayer.

"Thank you God for good days!"


	4. Shopping Trips

They arrived in town about 20 minutes later and Gabriella's mother parked outside the mall. She smiled brightly at her daughter as she undid her seat belt, but Gabriella could see the sweat beading on her forehead. Gabriella swallowed her fears and undid her own seat belt. She slipped out of the car and raced around to grab her mother's hand.

The mall was busy for mid September and people were moving so quickly, Gabriella didn't know where to look first. She felt her hand being gently tugged in a direction and she followed her mother. Her mother walked at a slow pace at first, but then she fell into speed with the rest of the shoppers and Gabriella had to jog to keep up with her.

They stopped at a store called "Please Mommy", but they soon discovered that it was for very young or very small children and Gabriella was neither young nor small. She was pretty tall for her age, with long legs, it was difficult to find a pair of jeans at a kids clothing store. So her wardrobe was pretty much skirts and dresses because her mother didn't have the patience to find a good pair of jeans.

The next store they stopped at was the Gap. Here they looked around and noticed that the winter wear was out. Her mother looked at her with an expression that Gabriella couldn't place and then smiled. "Let's get your winter stuff now." She said, making Gabriella stare at her with wonder. She was so confused. She normally got her winter stuff from things in the lost and found box that people never claimed.

Her mother picked out a white woolen scarf and white mittens that were thick and would keep the cold out. She passed them to Gabriella and then moved on to the boots. She spent 10 minutes going through the boots before she found a pair that suited what she was looking for. They were dark brown boots, lined with faux fur and had "laces" on the front. They were thick and sturdy and looked like they would last a long time. When she was passed the boots, Gabriella looked at the price tag and her eyes went wide. They were $29.99. She looked at her mother who was walking towards the coats and gaped at her.

"Mom?" She peeped. Her mother was looking at pea coats for kids.

"Yes?" She said without turning to look back. Gabriella looked around and then raced to her mother's side.

"These are…pretty expensive." She said with a whisper. Her mother studied her face and then smiled.

"Don't worry about it Gabi."

"But they-" She said starting to protest. Her mother took a deep breath and sighed.

"Well…then you better take extra good care of them!" She said, dismissing further discussion. Gabriella nodded and fell silent. She stood beside her mother and watched all the other kids in the store. There were plenty of babies, some were sleeping and some were awaking and just watching their surroundings. There was a small boy crawling under the tables while his mother was looking at clothes. There was a blonde girl about her age who was screaming at her mother because she wanted a pink umbrella, not a red one that she had at home. Gabriella shook her head and turned back to her mother.

"What do you think of this one?" Her mother pulled out a grey pea coat. It looked so smart and expensive…and beautiful. Gabriella knew she would love wearing it, but it would cost her mother a lot of money out of her pocket.

"I…I don't know." Gabriella said.

"If you're thinking about the price, stop it!" She said sternly. "What do you think about the coat? Do you like it?"

"I love it." She blurted out before she could stop herself. Her mother smiled down at her and nodded.

"Let's get it then. Come on." She headed off for the cashier. They waited in line behind woman with an armful of clothes for her 6 month old baby. When they reached the counter they were greeted by a sullen teenage girl, who had dark brown hair and wore it in a pony tail. She gave them a polite smile and then started ringing in the clothes. When she was done she hit a button and smiled.

"That will be $87.65" She smiled at Gabriella as she started putting the clothes into the bags and her mother fished out her wallet. She took out a little blue card, which Gabriella had never seen before, and handed it to the girl. She punched in some numbers and then a piece of paper came out of the machine. The girl grabbed it and circled something. "You have 90 days to return this. Have a nice day." Gabriella thanked the girl and her mother handed her a bag, while she took the other.

"This is fun!" She said with a bright smile. She grabbed Gabriella's hand and they walked, swinging their hands in between them from store to store.

They found the dress they were looking for at H&M. They looked around in the adult section before her mother got frustrated and then they headed to the kids section. They were greeted by the occasional staff and pointed in the right direction of the dresses.

There were dresses and skirts lined up all along the back wall. Her mother went straight towards the dresses, but Gabriella had to stand back and look. It was like looking at dress heaven. Her mother turned back and gave her a questioning look. Gabriella smiled and then joined her in the search for a dress.

There were all sorts of dresses here. They were different colours, different lengths, different sizes and styles. Gabriella picked up at pink dress with different coloured squares on it. She put it to her body and looked in the mirror. She turned to her mom and she shook her head, scrunching her nose, so she put it away and moved on.

"What about this one Gabi?" She said, pulling a purple dress off the shelves. It had short sleeves with tight material in the front and just reached her knees. She looked up at her mother and she smiled back. "Perfect. Lets get some stockings and then we'll go for dinner." Gabriella smiled and they walked to the section that had stockings and leggings. They bought two pairs of white tights and a pair of purple leggings to go with the dress. Her mother passed her the bag and smiled brightly.

"Thanks Mom." Gabriella said, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist, catching her off guard. She felt her mother's arms tighten around her.

"Come on. I'm starving." She said and headed to the food court in the middle of the mall. Gabriella got a cheeseburger and French fries, while her mother got herself some Thai food. They sat and ate their dinner, watching the people walk by talking and laughing. Her mother took a sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving Gabriella's.

"You know…I've never noticed how much you look like I did when I was young." She said, with a satisfied smile. Gabriella beamed at her and took a sip of her own drink. "Your father used to think you looked just like him, and you did, but there was always a part of me in there somewhere." Her smile lingered for a second and then it dropped suddenly. She looked away, tears at the brim her eyes. Gabriella's forehead creased as she wondered what had made her mother so sad. She touched her mother's hand that was on the table and looked at her.

"What's wrong?" She peeped.

"I don't want you to be like me." She turned to her, a tear ran down her cheek and the wiped it away. "Promise me that you'll never…never be like me."

"But Mom you a great-" Her mother shook her head and squeezed Gabriella's hand tightly.

"Promise me Gabriella! " Gabriella winced at the pain in her hand and nodded her head quickly. Her mother let go of her hand and patted it. "Things are going to be different now, you'll see." She said, wiping her eyes and gathering their garbage. She stood up, taking both trays and walked to the garbage bin. Gabriella picked up the bags and chased after her mother. She held out her hand and Gabriella took it willingly.

"I was thinking that we could go and visit Grandma on Sunday and then maybe we'll go out for a fancy dinner, just you and me." Gabriella smiled at her mother and nodded. "It's been such a long time since we've seen her and she's been calling a lot these days." She said, sighing slightly. They reached the car and Gabriella jumped in the front seat. The car started and they pulled out of the parking lot.

She looked at her mother and the sweat was obvious now. Her mother wouldn't last for very much longer. Her hands clenched the steering wheel and she was starting to shake. Gabriella felt her heart pick up and looked away so she wouldn't see what was happening to her mother. About 10 minutes later the car pulled into an all too familiar parking lot and her mother turned off the car. Gabriella looked around frantically, but couldn't find a reason to keep her mother away.

"I just have to pop inside for a second and see my friend. I'll be right back." She smiled at Gabriella, who begged with her eyes not to go in. She looked at her daughter and then got out of the car, slamming the door and opening the doors to the pub.

Gabriella slumped back in the seat and kicked the dashboard. It left a little imprint of her tiny shoe. She felt the hot tears fill her eyes and overflow on to her cheeks. Why did it always end this way? She screamed out loud with frustration and punched anything she could see. She hit her hand off the window and felt her knuckle crack. She winced at the pain and felt a whole knew set of tears pour down her face. She calmed down after about 30 minutes and by this point the car was starting to get cold. It was getting dark outside and all the lights were on in the pub. Gabriella, carefully, hoped into the back seat and dug out her new boots. She slipped her feet into them and then slid on the mittens. She stared at the pub door for another half an hour, but her mother never emerged.

When it was completely black outside Gabriella pulled out the coat and put it on. She felt instantly warmer. She lay down in the back seat and hummed herself a tune. She closed her eyes and continued humming, trying to find a way to go to sleep. Suddenly there was a tap on the window. Her eyes shot open but she didn't move. She held her breath and hoped that who ever it was would go away. There had been a time, when she was 5, where she had been in this exact same situation. She had been left in the car and a man had seen her lying in the back seat. He had tried to get in the car, telling her that he had some candy in his car, but Gabriella wasn't stupid then and isn't stupid now. Luckily a group of women had emerged from the pub and saved her from the creepy man. Now she was all alone. She heard the tapping again and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Please, go away! Please." She whispered repeatedly. She felt tears fill her eyes.

"Gabriella! It's me." She froze. That voice was so familiar to her. "It's me Troy." She sat up immediately and looked out the fogged window. She didn't need to see his face to know that it was him.

She jumped into the front seat and opened the door. When Troy's smiling face came into view she flung herself at him and cried. He laughed slightly but then stopped when she didn't let go of his neck. He just stood there and let her cry into his shoulder. When she let go he smiled at her.

"I like your coat, is it new?" He asked, his blue eyes taking in her new coat and boots. Gabriella stuck her hands in her pockets and nodded her head.

"We just got it tonight." She sniffed and wiped her tears. "We were on our way home when…" She looked at the pub and scowled. Troy patted her arm.

"Well we're not far from your house…wanna walk?" He asked. She looked at him and then at the car and smiled, nodding her head eagerly. She closed the door and started off in the direction of her house.

"Don't you want to leave a note for your mom?" He said, not moving an inch from the car. Gabriella looked at him and then the pub and shook her head.

"Let her think I've been kidnapped for one night. Then she might _really_ change." Gabriella snapped.

"But…she might be pretty angry when she gets home and your there." He said. She sighed, knowing he was right and walked back to the car. She opened the glove compartment and took out a yellow notepad that she used for drawing in situations like this. She winced as clutched the pen in the car.

_Mom, _

_ It got really cold, so I walked home. _

_ Gabi._

She stuck the note on the dash board and knew her mother would see it. She smiled at Troy and started off.

"So your mom calls you Gabi?" He asked.

"My dad did when I was a baby. I guess she just does it because it's a habit now." She said with a shrug.

"Does she call you Gabriella when she's mad, like all parents do?" He asked with a smile. Gabriella frowned at him.

"No. She calls me…other things." She said, remembering every name that she had been called, like it was burned into her heart. Troy sensed that she was upset and sighed.

"So, what's your teacher like at school?" He asked, taking her gloved hand in his as they crossed an intersection. She looked at him and smiled. Here she was with a sore hand, abandoned by her mother and feeling sad and he was asking her about school. He had saved her from her loneliness at school and now there in the car. She smiled at him and then voiced this thought. He shrugged.

"You're my savior Troy." He turned to her.

"You must not say that. You know Jesus is the true Savior." He said, nodding frankly. She raised an eyebrow to him and smiled.

"Alright, well you're my hero then!" She said. He smiled at her and nodded. His smile faded and his forehead creased as he frowned.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"I might not be able to save you every time." He said, studying the sidewalk as they walked, and thinking seriously about something.

"That's ok Troy. I'm a big girl. I can protect myself." She said, puffing out her chest and trying to look tough. He smiled at her and shook his head.

"I really like your coat." He said, changing the subject. She smiled at him.

"Wanna wear it?" She asked, teasing him. He fell for the bait and cringed.

"NO WAY! That's a GIRL'S coat!"

"Yea so?"

"I CANT WEAR A GIRL'S COAT!!" He said completely flabbergasted. She laughed at him as they walked down the street.


	5. Home Alone

Gabriella woke to the sound of her alarm and sighed. She opened her eyes and hit the off button. She closed her eyes again and then remembered that she had new clothes to wear. She jumped out of bed and raced to the front door. She slipped on he boots and raced out to the car. The car was off but the keys were still in the ignition and her bags of clothes were untouched and on the back seat where she had left them. She grabbed them and the keys, spotting her crumpled note and dashed back into the house. She had recently started leaving the back door unlocked as a way for her to get in. So when she arrived at her house late last night, she knew she had a way in. Once inside she unlocked the front door for her mother and went to bed.

Gabriella took the bag of clothes and crept past her mother's room and into the bathroom. She took out the ice cold purple dress and the crisp white tights and hung them on the door handle. She studied them and felt her anticipation grow. She quickly washed her face and brushed her hair before she put the tights and the dress on. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.

She skipped down the hallway and went into the kitchen to start her morning routine. She made herself a sand which with fresh meat bought by her mother's grocery shopping yesterday. Her mother had even bought rice crispy squares for a snack and juice boxes. Gabriella packed it into a brown paper bag and set it at the back of the counter so she wouldn't forget it, but also so that her mother wouldn't take it when she was going to work. She got herself a bowl of cereal and sat on the couch and watched her cartoons. She placed a t-towel at her throat and laid it over her dress so that she wouldn't spill and was very careful about how she ate.

Just as she was about to turn off the TV a commercial came on and caught her attention. There was a little girl and she was crying. She was hugging her knees and hiding in the closet. There was shouting in the background and the little girl began to sob harder. Then there were footsteps and loud voices and then girl covered her mouth so that she wouldn't be heard, but it didn't work. The cupboard door opened and two big hands reached in and pulled her out. Gabriella stared at the TV in complete shock. She missed the words spoken by the woman telling people to stop child abuse and she missed the child help phone number that appeared at the end of the commercial. She was in such shock that everything else went blank. Just the familiarity of that little girls fear made Gabriella freeze. She closed her eyes and counted to 10 just as she had done every time she felt that fear grow in her.

"What are you doing?" Her mother snapped from the doorway. Gabriella jumped and dropped her empty bowl on the floor. It made a loud clatter and she froze afraid to pick it up. Her mother stood, with her hands on her hips and watched her. She was wearing her uniform and her hair was in a ponytail. Her eyes had big purple bags under them and she tried to hide them with layers of make up and eyeliner, but Gabriella could see them. "Well pick it up. I'm not going to do it for you."

Gabriella jumped and reached down to pick up the bowl. She scurried past her mother and placed the dishes in the sink. She turned and looked at her mother. Her mother sighed and grabbed her coat from the hall closet.

"I'm working a double at the diner today so you're going to have to make your own dinner tonight." Gabriella perked up at this knowledge. Her mother wouldn't be home till well after 10 and even later if she went to the pub. She would be able to take a bath and watch some TV. She tried to hide her excitement and over the years had learned to mask it very well. She nodded to let her mother know that she was paying attention.

"Be good at school today. I don't want any phone calls saying you've been fighting." She stuck her finger at Gabriella and Gabriella froze. She had gotten into a fight one time at school, with Chad and she had regretted it for two weeks after that. Her mother sighed and straightened her back. "Kiss me goodbye Gabi." She said with a stern tone. Gabriella swallowed back her fear and went to her mother's side. She took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the bad drink that her mother loved and cheap perfume to hide it. She placed a gentle kiss on her mother's cheek before she backed away. Her mother smiled and then turned out the door. Gabriella watched her mother leave and then locked the door behind her.

She had ten minutes to get ready before she had to catch her bus. She raced to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and her hair one last time. She grabbed her old cardigan and threw it on. She looked at her new boots and decided that she should save them for another day when she would actually need them. So instead she slipped on her old dress shoes and grabbed her lunch and backpack and headed out the back door for school.

At the bus stop she hopped onto the green box, sighed and looked around. The leaves were changing from green to yellow and red and it was starting to get cold. That meant Halloween was coming up. She was very excited. Grandma always made her the best costumes. She pulled out her photo album and flipped to the page of her and her grandmother on her 3rd birthday. They looked so happy then and her daddy was there. She ran her fingers over the image of her father and made a wish that she had made every morning since before she could remember.

"I wish I could be with you." She whispered.

~*~

At school she had gotten a lot of compliments from some of the girls and some of the teachers. The boys didn't really care that she had gotten a new dress. All they cared about were cars and sports. Taylor still wasn't speaking to her, but Gabriella knew it would take a couple of days for Taylor to forget what had happened between them.

As the class was dismissed for lunch Gabriella grabbed her lunch and snuck outside. Troy was sitting at the picnic bench that had sat at before and he was counting the different colours of leaves on the ground. Gabriella smiled and raced up to him.

"Whatcha doin'?" She asked him. He smiled up at her and shrugged.

"Just counting the leaves in that pile." He said and pointed to a pile beside her. She studied him with a curious expression and then he smiled.

"Like my dress?" She asked him and twirled around in it.

"A new coat and a dress. You sure are lucky!" He said with a smile, but then went back to counting his leaves. Gabriella frowned.

"Don't you like it?" She asked him, climbing on the picnic table beside him.

"Uh…sure…"He said with a shrug and she sulked. He looked at her and rolled his eyes. "It's amazing ok?"

"Well you don't have to be mean about it!" Gabriella crossed her arms and pouted some more. She heard Troy sigh.

"It's beautiful. It makes your eyes sparkle." He said. Gabriella turned to him with a big smile.

"Really?" She said. He looked at her and shrugged and looked away. Gabriella flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, catching him completely off guard. He sat completely still.

"GIRLS!" he mumbled when she released him. She smiled and opened her lunch bag. She pulled out her sand which and placed it on the table.

"Want some?" She asked him. He looked at it for a second and then shook his head.

"No thanks."

"Aren't you hungry?" She said curiously.

"No, not really." He sighed. "I already ate." Gabriella nodded her head and started eating her lunch. She talked about little things like what she watched on Bugs and Tweety today. Troy laughed at the appropriate moments and frowned when needed. She hesitated wanting to tell him about the crying girl on TV, but not being able to find the courage to tell him. She offered him a piece of her rice crispy square, but he turned that down too.

"Are you sick Troy? Do you have a tummy ache?" Gabriella asked, very concerned for her friend.

"No." He looked at her puzzled by the question.

"It's just…you don't want some of my sand which, which I understand, but rice crispy squares? Everyone _loves_ rice crispy squares." She said with a smile. Troy studied her and then shrugged.

"Not hungry. Besides it's your treat you should eat it." He said with a smile. He nudged her arm and Gabriella sighed.

"Well don't say I never offer you anything." She said before finishing off the treat.

"So want to come to church with me this Sunday?" Troy asked. "You can wear your new dress." Gabriella smiled and then frowned.

"I would really like too, but my Grandma's coming this weekend. Every year for Halloween she makes me a costume."

"But Halloween's next Friday." He said clearly puzzled.

"She's already made it for me silly. She's dropping it off to see how it fits and then she stays for dinner and takes me out to the movies." Gabriella smiled and Troy smiled back.

"Well maybe the week after then." He said and she smiled. "Hey want to read me some of your book." He asked.

"Ok." She smiled. The bell rang just then and Gabriella gathered her things and threw them in the trash bin. She made her way threw the streams of excited children back to Troy who waited for her.

~*~

Gabriella opened the back door to her house and paused. She listened carefully for any sounds of movement and the proceeded into the house. She slipped off her back pack and walked down the hallways to the front closet where she took off her shoes and hung up her cardigan. She looked around the house and smiled. She had the whole place to herself and she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. She went to the c.d player and put on her Dad's favorite c.d, Ace Of Base. She had a vague memory of dancing to this song and feeling her Dad's hands in hers. She turned up the music really loud and started dancing around the living room. She started singing the words...

_I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me,  
I'm so fly.  
How could a person like me care for you?  
Why do I bother when you're not the one for me?  
It's enough to know…  
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign…_

She danced down the hallway and retrieved her bag from the back door. She skipped back down and tossed her back pack onto the kitchen table. She pulled out her homework and started working on her math homework. Tapping her pencil on the table when she got distracted. When the song got to her favorite part Gabriella pretended that her pencil was a microphone, stood up on the chair and belted out the words. As the song ended she imagined a huge crowd around her cheering her name, screaming and clapping and begging for an autograph.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She said to her imaginary audience and took several bows before sitting down and continuing on with her homework.

At 5:30 she decided she had done enough of her math work book to last her for the next four nights and that it was time for dinner. She put on a new c.d and listened to it as she made herself some macaroni and cheese, from a box. She sang into the spoon when she felt into the music and paraded around the kitchen like it was a stage, showing off her new dress for all too see. When her dinner was finished, cooked to perfection, Gabriella turned off the music and put on some cartoons. It was nights like these that she loved the most. Nights where she got to watch shows that other kids watched, like Atomic Betty or Avatar. She sat glued to the TV screen completely captured by the plot lines and the struggles that each character had to face. At 7:00 the alarm clock rang and Gabriella switched off the TV. She packed up her books and washed her dishes and wiped down the stove. She took out the garbage and locked the front door. After she was done that she ran herself a bath.

Grandma had gotten her special bubble bath for her birthday and Gabriella used only a little every time she got the chance too. It smelt like strawberries and the bubbles grew really big and foamy. While the tub was filling with water and bubbles Gabriella went in and got her warmest fuzzy pajamas and slippers and brought them into the bathtub. She looked at her two barbies lying on the floor and decided she would bring them in the bath with her. So she could play with them. She went into the bathroom and took off her purple dress, careful not to let it get wet or dirty on the floor. She looked at her naked torso in the mirror and frowned. The bruise on the side of her rib was a light yellow, not completely gone yet but almost. She looked at herself again and then shook the bad thoughts from her head. She climbed into the warm back and felt the soft bubbles against her skin. She closed her eyes held her breath and completely submerged her body in the water.

It was a weird feeling to be completely under the water. It was dark, yet peaceful. She could hear sounds in the water that sounded way different in the air and she could faintly hear her heart beating in her ears. She emerged from the water and sighed. She always loved taking a bath.

~*~

The water got cold around 8:30 and the bubbles had faded to tiny little foam. So Gabriella quickly washed her hair and got out of the tub. She watched the water go down the drain sadly, wishing that it had lasted longer. She put on her clean clothes and brushed long dark hair back. She searched for the blow dryer, but knew it was in her mother's room. She looked at the clock and debated going into her room. She wouldn't be home till after ten, so she would be clear for another hour and a half.

She crept to her mother's door and pushed it open. It squeaked as it inched away from her. It was pitch black in here and Gabriella was terrified. She took a deep breath and felt along the wall for the light switch. She flicked it on and the room illuminated. Her mother's dark sheets were unfolded and wrinkled and there were clothes everywhere. The curtains were closed and the room had a musty smell. Gabriella spotted the blow dryer on her mother's dresser and she went to grab it.

As she pulled the blow dryer away she knocked over a bottle of powdery makeup. It was like watching something in slow motion. The world stood still as the tiny glass bottle fell towards the floor. When it hit the floor it smashed into little pieces and powder went everywhere. Gabriella could do nothing but stare at it for 10 minutes. When she realized what she had done tears filled her eyes and her chest became heavy. It got to the point where she had to tell herself to breath or she would've stopped breathing. She looked at the bottle on the floor and immediately knew she had to clean it up before mom could get home.

She raced into the kitchen and grabbed the broom. She quickly swept up the broken glass and powder to the best of her ability. The remaining powder that was on the dresser and stuck between the cracks in the floor she wiped down with a cloth. She threw the pieces of glass in the garbage and prayed that her mother would never notice. When she was done cleaning up, she studied the spot where the glass had broken and shivered. She closed her eyes and turned and left the room, taking the blow dryer with her. By 9:00 she was in bed and turning off her light.

She closed her eyes and said goodnight to her Daddy, like she did every night. All of a sudden there was a tapping at her window. Gabriella's eyes flew open. She clutched her blankets tightly and froze. There it was again, more tapping. Gabriella felt tears fill up her eyes and she threw the blanket over her head.

"Gabriella, it's me!" She heard a familiar voice from outside the window. She took a deep breath and pulled her head from under the covers. She listened again. "Come on, open up!" She climbed out of bed and slipped on her slippers. She peeked through her blinds and exhaled the breath she had been holding on to. She opened the blinds and then the window.

"Troy what are you doing here?" She asked him. There he was, directly in front of her, hanging in the tree that had grown outside her window.

"It's a beautiful night out tonight." He said looking up at the stars. "Wanna come out?"

"It's 9:00!" She said shocked.

"It's Friday!" He mimicked her. She looked at him and then at her doorway. Mom was most likely going to pub after so she would be safe for at least a couple of minutes. She smiled at Troy and slid open her screen. She grabbed a blanket and climbed out the window.

"Where are we going?" She asked him. He smiled down at her.

"To the stars…"


	6. Chains to Bear

"Come on." Troy called from above. Gabriella looked up at him through the branches and struggled to keep the blanket on her shoulder. She watched him taking a careful step onto the roof and then he vanished.

"Troy?" She called nervously. He appeared two seconds later and smiled down at her, his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Come on Gabriella, you're almost there." She sighed and continued climbing branch to branch, never looking down once, for fear of falling. When she was eye level to the roof she spotted Troy lying down staring at the stars. She tossed the blanket on the roof and nervously stepped onto it. She slipped and Troy jumped up to help, but didn't offer his hand. She steadied herself and then carefully laid the blanket down. She took a seat beside him on the blanket and lay down. She closed her eyes as a cool breeze kissed her face.

"Cool huh?" Troy said and she opened her eyes.

"What's cool?" She said turning her head to look at him.

"The stars." He said, shaking his head slightly. She smiled at him and then looked at the stars. She had never really noticed the stars before. But tonight it seemed like they were extra bright. They looked like they were dancing in the sky. She sighed and felt herself completely relax.

"See that group of stars over there?" Troy pointed to a group of stars in the shape of a spoon, just slightly to the left. "That's the Ursa Minor, or the little dipper. See how it looks like a spoon?" Gabriella nodded. "In Greek Ursa Minor means little bear."

"A bear? I don't see a bear?"

"Well the handle is the head and there's the neck and then the legs." Troy explained it tracing it out with his finger in the sky. Gabriella nodded as she understood. "There's the big dipper too." He pointed to an even bigger group of stars that looked like the spoon. "It's called the Ursa Major."

"For big Bear?" Gabriella smiled brightly and Troy nodded at her. He went silent and stared back at the stars. Gabriella studied him for a second in wonder. He was so smart and so nice. She all of a sudden became very thankful that he had decided to become her friend.

"Oh see that one…" He said pulling her from her thoughts. She looked to where he was pointing, directly above them.

"Which one?"

"The one that looks like a slanted W?" She looked hard and when she finally saw what he was talking about she shrieked.

"I SEE IT!" She said excitedly and Troy laughed.

"That's Cassiopeia." He said. "You only see her in the fall."

"Cassio-What?" Gabriella said scrunching up her face.

"Cassiopeia. The Greek stories say that she was one of the most beautiful women of her time, but she was very selfish and mean. She had a daughter too who was also beautiful. It is said that Cassiopeia boasted to the others about how beautiful she was and the water god Poseidon heard her and sent a sea monster out to punish her for being so selfish. To save herself, she and her husband tied their daughter, Andromeda, to a rock as a sacrifice for the monster."

"That's horrible." Gabriella said staring at the shape in the sky,

"Well Andromeda was saved, but Cassiopeia was captured and is now forever chained in the sky. Depending on the time of the year and the place in the world that she's in, sometimes she is upside down and it is said that the gods thought this would be torture enough for her. To be locked forever in the sky-"

"Upside down." Gabriella finished and Troy nodded. "How do you know so much about the stars?" She asked him.

"My dad taught me a lot about the stars. He really likes them." Troy said with a deep sigh. Gabriella studied him for a moment and then shrugged. He was a bit weird, but then again she was weird too. Both had no friends except for each other and they were quite fine with that.

"So you think the stories are actually true?" Gabriella asked him, studying Cassiopeia in the sky. He shrugged.

"Some of it might be true, but not the god's part."

"Why not?" She asked him curiously.

"Because there's only one God Gabriella."

"But how do you know? I mean there could be tons of other gods out there and no one knows about them or something like that."

"Trust me, I know. And besides its in the commandments that we honor one God, our true God and shall worship no other god but him." Troy said proudly. Gabriella studied him and when he met her eye he smiled.

"You're a bit weird." Troy laughed and then shrugged.

"You're a bit weird too." He said and she giggled. Then he stopped smiling and sat up. He looked to the sky with a stern expression and then nodded before he turned to Gabriella. "Listen Gabi, I have to tell you something important." She sat up and nodded. "A lot of bad things happen to very many people and its during those bad things that people…don't say their prayers and they don't ask God for help." Gabriella yawned as she half listened to him. "I just want you to remember that he's always listening." He looked at her square in the face, completely serious and she bit her lips to stop herself from smiling. He saw that she wasn't paying attention and shook his head with a slight smirk. "This is a lot trickier than I thought…"he mumbled and then sighed.

There was a sound of a car on the road and then a light flashed across Troy's face. Gabriella felt her heart jump into her throat and panic start to set it. She sat frozen on the roof afraid to move. She listened as the car shut off and her mother opened the door. She was swearing and she watched her mother pretty much fall out of the car. She slammed the door shut and then staggered up to the front door. When she heard the door knob turn, Gabriella unfroze and jumped up. She scooped up the blanket and started down the tree.

"That's my mom. I gotta go." She said as she was half way down the tree. Troy stared at her as she climbed down.

"See you tomorrow." He said.

"It's Saturday tomorrow." She whispered.

"So?" She smiled up at him and then waved to him before she jumped into the window.

She landed on the ground with a loud thud and she froze there. She listened for sign of movement and exhaled when nothing was heard. She closed the window and quickly climbed into bed. She heard footsteps in the kitchen and she nestled into her sheets as she heard her mother start to swear louder.

"GABRIELLA!!!" She heard her mother's drunken shriek and felt the tears in her eyes.

"Oh please no. Not today…please not today!" Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut and hid under the blanket. She heard the door open and heard her mother approach her bed. One minute she was in darkness and the next minute she was blinded by light and cold. She opened her eyes slightly and her mother's face was in hers. Her mother's dark eyes were glossy and red and they stared at her with anger and hate. She saw the hand move, but was completely frozen. She felt a sharp tug on her hair and she was pulled from her bed by her hair. Her mother dragged her across the room and down the hallway to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen she threw Gabriella at the garbage can and she hit it with a loud thud.

"What is that?" her mother shrieked and Gabriella bit back the tears. She took a deep breath and tried to stand, but her mother was behind her in two seconds and grabbed her hair again. "WHAT IS THAT?" She screamed as she pointed at the garbage can. Gabriella swallowed back the pain and the tears and looked in the can. She kicked herself for being so lazy because there at the bottom of the can was the broken makeup bottle.

"I'm…I'm sorry Mom. It was an accident." She said, tears pouring down her face.

"An accident? AN ACCIDENT!!!"She shrieked and tossed Gabriella into the counter. She grabbed her by the arms and shook her hard. "I told you to stay out of my ROOM!" Her mother shrieked and slapped Gabriella across the face. Gabriella sobbed.

"Mom, I'm sorry." She shrieked but her words went unheard. Her mother flew into a fury and her hands went flying making contact with any part of Gabriella's body that Gabriella could not block. Gabriella shrieked and cried and begged her mother to stop, but as usual this just made things worse for Gabriella. The last time she pleaded for mercy she took a hard blow to the face. She tasted blood on her lip after her mother's ring made contact with it and she fell to the floor. She felt dizzy and nauseous. She placed her hands and her knees on the ground and took a deep breath. Her vision was no longer blocked by tears, for they had ended minutes ago. She saw the blood drip from her nose onto the kitchen floor and she spit out a tiny baby tooth.

She stayed in this position, vaguely aware that her mother was still screaming at her. She knew it wasn't over when she felt her mother's shoe collide with her already bruised rib and sent her flying into the cupboards. Her head collided with the wood and her breath caught in her lungs. She felt the throbbing of her sore ribs and the pulse in her head. The last thing she saw was her mother smile down at her in a mocking way before the world went black.

~*~

Gabriella felt something hard against her back. She tried to open her eyes but only one would open the whole way. She looked around the room and tried to remember where she was. With the little sunlight that was coming in through the windows she saw that she was lying beside the counters. She turned her head slightly and noticed a dark splotches on the ground. She lifted her head and instantly regretted it. Moving was going to be a problem after that nasty hit she had taken against the cupboards.

She took a deep breath and tried again. This time she actually sat up but with much difficulty. It really hurt to breath and her head was pounding. She looked around the room with her one good eye and spotted the time on the microwave. 6:27 it told her. She looked around for a cloth but couldn't find one. She didn't want to risk going through the cupboards to find a clean cloth. She looked down and sighed sadly. She unbuttoned her pajama top and quietly turned on the sink. Once the shirt was soaked she started cleaning up the blood she had spit on the ground. She swept up the baby tooth and tossed it in the garbage. 30 painful minutes later there was no sign of blood anywhere. Gabriella sighed with exhaustion and tip-toed back to her bed room.

She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. A cold chill ran down her naked back and she looked around for a shirt to cover her torso with. She tossed the bloody shirt in her hamper and found a white t-shirt folded neatly in her drawer. She quietly pulled it out and unfolded it. She raised her arms and almost collapsed from the pain. Her sides were very sore and pulling a shirt over her head was next to impossible, but Gabriella knew it needed to be done. She held her breath and as quick as she could, slipped her arms into her shirt and pulled it over her head. As the shirt brushed over her face she winced.

She opened her door again and listened for signs that the monster was stirring. When the coast was clear she crept to the bathroom and shut the door. When she looked in the mirror she felt the tears well up in her eyes. The person who looked back at her was not who she liked to see. It was a friend that she saw on a regular basis but wished she would never see again. The girl who stood in front of her last night had been clean and pretty and happy. This girl was sad and ugly. Her dark hair was matted with blood, spit and sweat. Her lip was puffy and scabbed from where it had been cut. Her left eye had completely swollen over and it was a dark purple, where as the other was a bright red and had a cut just slightly above the eye. Gabriella sighed and gently shook her head.

"Don't think about it…"She told herself. She grabbed the towel and turned on the hot water. When the tip of the towel was soaked she started washing the dried blood off her face and cleaning her cuts as best as she could. She stared at herself in the mirror and the tears poured down her face. She couldn't take looking at herself any longer. She left the bathroom and went back to her bedroom. The covers were all over the floor, so she naturally had to struggle with that to make sure that she was warm. When her bed was made again she climbed into it and pulled the sheet over her face. She took two deep breaths and then sobbed.


	7. Curious George

The doorbell rang in the distance and Gabriella opened her eye slightly. She heard the doorbell ring again, but made no move to go and answer it. She heard footsteps in the hallway and then the front door open. She heard voices. Grandma's voice. This normally would've been enough to make her get out of bed, but not today.

"She's not…feeling well Mom." Gabriella heard her mother say. "She's been sleeping all day."

"Have you checked on her?"

"Of course I've checked on her I'm not a completely horrible mother!" As she spoke her voice drifted. Gabriella felt a pain in her heart and she pulled the blanket up to her face. She listened carefully to the conversation at the front door. 5 minutes later the front door was closed and Grandma was leaving. She heard footsteps in the hallway and pulled the blankets over her head. She couldn't help the nervous shaking that she was experiencing and they didn't cease when the door opened.

"Gabi?" Her mother's voice was completely different from last night, but Gabriella still didn't trust her. "Come on honey, tell me what's wrong. I've got a wicked head ache and I'd rather not play these games right now." Gabriella sighed and prepared herself for the look her mother was about to give her. For her mother had not remembered anything that had happened last night.

She pulled the blanket from her face and turned towards her mother. Her look of concern turned to a look of horror and then guilt and back to horror again. She put a hand to her mouth and tears poured down her cheeks. She reached out her hand to touch Gabriella's face but Gabriella turned away and covered herself with the blanket again.

"I am a horrible mother." She heard her mother whisper before she felt the bed give way and heard the door close. Gabriella sighed and pulled the blankets down from her face. She studied the ceiling with her one eye and then looked around the room.

She noticed a blue outfit lying on her bed. She carefully sat up and saw that it was her costume for Halloween. It was the special costume that Grandma had made for her. This year she had wanted to be Silvermist, the water fairy from the Tinkerbell movies and Grandma had promised to make her the exact same dress. Gabriella grabbed the dress and held it out. Grandma had kept her promise for it was the exact same dress that Silvermist wore in the movies.

It was a light blue dress, with one shoulder, but a nude material that would cover her arms and keep her warm. It flowed out like a flower petals. It sparkled in the light and was accompanied by two light blue sparkly wings. Gabriella smiled at this and then cringed at the burning pain in her lip. She felt a yawn coming on and placed the costume carefully at the end of her bed. She lay back on the pillow and closed her eyes. She fell back into a deep sleep, this time dreaming that she was Silvermist and she lived in Pixie Hollow with Tinkerbell and the other fairies.

~*~

The weekend passed without a problem. Gabriella slept all day Saturday, subconsciously trying to get ride of the stress that had built up in Gabriella. Her mother left her alone, too embarrassed to face her 7 year old daughter's face. Around midnight Gabriella got up to eat. Her bruises were still swollen, maybe even more swollen then they had been in the morning. She ate a peanut butter sand which and grabbed a bag of ice before she headed back to her room. She fell asleep with the ice on her eyes.

Sunday passed by quickly. Gabriella was more alert and awake but she never left her bed. She could open both her eyes today, so the ice had helped but her lips were still sore and her ribs hurt if she breathed a certain way. She reached under her bed and grabbed the library book she had borrowed and stayed in bed reading it the entire day, completely losing herself in the book and forgetting what was going on around her. Around lunch time there was a soft knock on her door. She quickly shut the book and covered herself with the blankets again. She heard her mother's soft footsteps and heard her breath catch.

"Gabi…I'm so sorry." She whimpered. Gabriella rolled her eyes and stayed under the blankets. She had heard this before. Her mother would apologize and then promise that she was going to go and get help but she never seemed to get around to it. She wouldn't go out for two days and then she would start shaking and throwing up and eventually she would cave and turn back to the clear liquid bottles again.

"Please, baby, come on. Talk to me. You know that its not really me. It's…I promise I'm going to stop." A hand touched Gabriella's side through the sheet and Gabriella jumped. She listened to her mother's breathing become heavier with emotion and sighed. She heard the soft sniffles and Gabriella knew her mother was crying. But just to be sure she pulled the sheet down from her face and peeked over the blankets. She was right her mother was crying and Gabriella's heart hurt. She sighed and then gently sat up. Her mother looked at her and shook her head. She gently reached out her hand and touched Gabriella's cheek.

"I'm so sorry." She said through sobs. Gabriella sighed and wrapped her arms around her mother. She didn't know why, but every time her mom got this way, Gabriella always felt like the bad one, like she had done something wrong and she just wanted her mom to feel better.

"I love you Mommy." She whispered into her mom's hair and she felt her mother's arms tighten around her daughter and her body convulse with the sobs. She stroked her mother's hair and held her mother tight. Finally her mother pulled away.

"That's it. This will never happen again. I promise." She held Gabriella's face in her hands and looked directly into her eyes. Though they were streaked with make up and tears they held truth. Gabriella smiled and then felt her own tears. Her mother had never promised her anything before. She felt her own body shake with emotion and her mother scooped her up into her lap and rocked her. She winced when her mother touched rubbed her back and her mother looked down at her.

"I know what you need. A nice bath and some tea." Gabriella looked at her mother with tear filled eyes and nodded. This was her mother; this person who sat stroking her blood crusted hair and rocking her back and forth. This was a completely different person than the person from Friday night. Her mother placed her back in her bed and went to start her up a bath. Gabriella sighed and laid back on the sheet. She closed her eyes and thought of her Daddy. She told him everything that had happened in the last couple of days, just in case he wasn't watching.

"Daddy?" She whispered, staring at the ceiling. "Look out for Mommy. She needs help now, she needs…you and me to help her. If you're in Heaven can you ask God to help her for me?" The door squeaked and her mother peeked her head in.

"Ready?" She said with a sad smile and Gabriella smiled and nodded. Her mother disappeared and Gabriella looked up at the ceiling again.

"I love you." She whispered before she climbed out of bed.

~*~

Monday morning was stressful for Gabriella. She put on a pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater that covered her arms. This way she would stay warm and Mrs. Darbus wouldn't stare at her and ask her questions about her mommy again. Gabriella studied her face in the mirror. Her eye wasn't as swollen but it was a dark blue and her lip was turning yellow. The peroxide her mother had put on it has fought off infection, but it hadn't stopped the bruising. She sighed and shrugged. There was really nothing she could do. Her mother had left for work and left Gabriella with no choice but to go to school.

Gabriella left her hair down in hopes that it would hide her face somewhat. She grabbed her back pack and put on her running shoes before she headed out the door. She left threw the back door, letting the screen slam as it hit the door frame. She walked along the cracked patio and headed to the side gate. She struggled with the old rusted lock and then swung the gate open. She slumped her bag onto her shoulders, and with her head down started towards the bus stop.

"Morning Gabriella." Someone said beside her. Gabriella looked up and Mrs. Evans was standing on her porch. She was in her bathrobe and had the newspaper in her hands. Her blonde hair was in curlers and she had no make up on. Two year old Sharpay had her face pressed against the glass door and was fascinated with the fact that if she breathed on the glass she couldn't see anymore. Gabriella smiled at her and gave a slight wave. Mrs. Evans smiled back and then her smiled faded.

"Are you ok dear?" She asked stepping down the steps. Gabriella nodded. Mrs. Evans studied her face. "We heard…I thought I heard shouting."

"Shouting?" Gabriella asked. Mrs. Evans nodded and Gabriella looked away. She studied the street and spotted her bus turning at the corner. "There's my bus, so I better go. Bye Mrs. Evans." She waved to the baby and headed for the bus keeping her eyes to the ground. But she still felt Mrs. Evans eyes on her and the eyes of all the other parents that stood at the bus stop. Having a black eye at 7 was not something that sat well with parents, or so Gabriella noticed.

She slipped into the line and then onto the bus without any problems. She sat slumped down in the seat and stared at the houses that passed by. When the bus stopped beside a car, Gabriella looked away, hiding her face from the people in the cars. All she had to do today was be invisible and she would get through…it shouldn't be that hard. She was barely noticed anyways.

~*~

"Gabriella, what happened to your face?" Mrs. Darbus asked as Gabriella stepped into the classroom. The students that had entered in front of her looked back at her and for the first time took in the bruises on her face. Gabriella's gaze flicked quickly through the pairs of eyes that stared back with extreme curiosity. She smiled slightly and shrugged.

"I was…" She looked around again. "I was playing with my little cousin on the weekend. We were jumping on my bed and she…she uh…fell back and hit my head with hers. Right here," She said as she pointed to the point of her eye which was still slightly swollen. Mrs. Darbus narrowed her eyes at her and pursed her lips.

"Well what happened to you lip then?" She said and Gabriella ran her tongue over the cut that had now scabbed.

"Uh…it's a cold sore." She said with a shrug.

"My brother said that cold sores are like herpes!" Chad said.

"EWW!!!" and eruption of noise came from the kids. Mrs. Darbus stood up and started scolding Chad and telling the children to sit in their seats. Gabriella sighed and walked quickly to her desk. Kelsi turned in her seat, in front of Gabriella a smiled.

"It's not that bad Gabriella." She reassured her, as she pushed her glasses up onto her nose. "It looks sore, but its nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone gets them." Gabriella frowned at her not really sure what she was talking about.

"Huh?" She said and Kelsi blushed.

"You're herp-I mean cold sore." Gabriella smiled when she realized what she was talking about.

"Oh right." She nodded. "It's kinda sore, but not too bad."

"My mom gets them all the time. She says to get rid of them squirt some lemon on it. Then again she says Lemon cures everything. It defiantly does not cure paper cuts or pink eye!"

"Ok, thanks Kelsi." Gabriella giggled. "I'll try it when I go home." Kelsi smiled brightly and then turned around. Gabriella didn't like lying to people, but she didn't want them looking at her funny either. She sighed and sank into her chair as Mrs. Darbus started today's lesson.

~*~

It started pouring right before lunch. Gabriella frowned at the rain because she had forgotten to bring a coat and therefore wouldn't be able to go out to meet with Troy today. She sighed when the bell rang and headed to cafeteria to eat her lunch.

People whispered as she passed by them. She saw Mrs. Darbus talking to the principle and they were both staring at her. She kept her head down and forced herself to not listen to what they were saying. Once in the cafeteria she stopped and looked around. She felt like everyone was watching her, looking at her face. She felt her cheeks heat up and looked down at her shoes as she headed for her normal spot, at the back table in the corner. She had a book in one hand and her lunch in the other. Something to her left caught her attention and she looked over. Kelsi was smiling brightly and waving at her. She was sitting by herself too.

"You can sit with me Gabriella!" Kelsi said, pushing her glasses up. Gabriella looked at her empty table and smiled. She looked around and the cautiously approached the table. "They look at me funny too." Kelsi said looking behind Gabriella. "I just pretend that they are all curious little monkeys that want to be like me. It's fun you should try." Kelsi said.

"Like Curious George?" Gabriella asked.

"Exactly." She nodded and Gabriella giggled.

"Thanks Kelsi." Gabriella said as she took the seat across from Kelsi.

"No problem." She shrugged. Gabriella started to unpack her lunch. She noticed that Kelsi wasn't unpacking her lunch. "Where's your lunch Kelsi?" Kelsi looked at her for a moment, her eyes completely serious and then she looked down at her lap.

"I forgot it at home." Gabriella frowned. She looked at her bologna sand which and her rice crispy square and groaned inwardly.

"Well you can have some of mine, if you want." She said with a smile. Kelsi looked at her then her lunch. She studied it and then shook her head.

"It's ok. You eat Gabriella." Gabriella shrugged and took a bite of one half of her sand which. But for some reason it tasted really bad. She looked at it and then at Kelsi.

"Here." She said as she slid a piece of her sand which over to Kelsi. Kelsi smiled brightly at her and then picked up the sand which. Her tiny hands shook as she picked up the sand which. She started off eating half the sand which slow and then gave up and devoured the rest of the sand which in under two minutes. Gabriella looked at her with curiosity and Kelsi blushed.

"Sorry." Kelsi said.

"I guess you were hungry." Gabriella said, smiling. Kelsi looked up at her and nodded slightly.

"Well I'm not really that hungry. So you can have my rice crispy square." She slid the snack to her companion and saw Kelsi's eyes light up.

"I…I can't Gabriella. It's your snack." She said, staring at the treat. Gabriella giggled.

"You can have it Kelsi. I'm not hungry. You eat that and I'll drink the juice." She said and Kelsi smiled brightly. This time Kelsi ate slowly, savoring each bite. Gabriella watched her curiously and drank her juice.

"Too bad about the rain, huh?" Kelsi said when she was done eating her sand which.

"Yea. I was hoping to see me friend Troy."

"Troy? I've never met a Troy before?" Kelsi said with a frown.

"He doesn't go here. He's catholic."

"OH." Kelsi said with an understanding nod.

"He's really funny. And we sit together at lunchtime and I read to him and he tells me funny stories about his dog." Gabriella smiled as she thought of Troy. "You should meet him." Kelsi smiled brightly.

"Ok."

"It'll have to be tomorrow because…well its raining today, so I don't think he will come and visit." Gabriella said with a frown. "But he'll be here tomorrow…defiantly."


End file.
